Asynchronous power saving computer

ABSTRACT

A computer array ( 10 ) has a plurality of computers ( 12 ). The computers ( 12 ) communicate with each other asynchronously, and the computers ( 12 ) themselves operate in a generally asynchronous manner internally. When one computer ( 12 ) attempts to communicate with another it goes to sleep until the other computer ( 12 ) is ready to complete the transaction, thereby saving power and reducing heat production. A slot sequencer ( 42 ) in each of the computers produces a timing pulse to cause the computer ( 12 ) to execute a next instruction. However, when the present instruction is a read or write type instruction, the slot sequencer does not produce the pulse until an acknowledge signal ( 86 ) starts it. The acknowledge signal ( 86 ) is produced when it is recognized that the communication has been completed by the other computer ( 12 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of computers and computer processors, and more particularly to a method and means for allowing a computer to “go to sleep” while it is waiting to communicate with another computer or device, thereby saving power and reducing heat production. The predominant current usage of the present inventive asynchronous computer is in the combination of multiple computers on a single microchip, wherein computing power, power consumption, and heat production are important considerations.

2. Description of the Background Art

In the art of computing, processing speed is a much desired quality, and the quest to create faster computers and processors is ongoing. However, it is generally acknowledged in the industry that the limits for increasing the speed in microprocessors are rapidly being approached, at least using presently known technology. Therefore, there is an increasing interest in the use of multiple processors to increase overall computer speed by sharing computer tasks among the processors. But it is also generally acknowledged that there will, almost inevitably, be some decrease in overall efficiency involved in the sharing of the workload. That is, the old adage will apply that just because one person can dig a post hole in 60 minutes, it does necessarily follow that 60 people could dig a post hole in 1 minute. The same principle applies to almost any division of tasks, and the division of tasks among processors is no exception.

Of course, efforts are being made to make the sharing of tasks among computer processors more efficient. The question of exactly how the tasks are to be allocated is being examined and processes improved. However, no one expects that there will not be at least some “wasted” processor power in such an arrangement, no matter how clever might be the implementation.

The lack of a high level of efficiency in multiple processor computers is not necessarily a great hindrance to the overall computing capabilities of the computer chip or system. Lack of efficiency can generally be easily overcome by the sheer brute increase in available processors and processing capacity. However this solution leads to another problem. That is, so many processors and associated components create an ever increasing amount of heat. Heat is already a problem even with today's high power single processor computer chips. They need extraordinary cooling means, such as fans and even water cooling, just to operate normally. Therefore, it has become practically impossible to use the more powerful single processors in small handheld devices, small application specific digital equipment, and the like. The idea of combining multiple processors of the type typically in use today on a single chip would seem to be beyond the physical limits of the package to dissipate the generated heat, even using the most extraordinary means of assistance.

The heat problem discussed above is well known in the industry. Great effort is being made to address the problem. Proposed solutions have included methods for improving efficiency and thereby reducing the number and size of processors needed, and methods for reducing the power consumption of individual processors. However, it is generally recognized that the ultimate solution to this problem has yet to be found. The problem is further compounded by the trend in the industry to apply such processors to small hand held devices. The heat dissipation problem is difficult enough in larger computer packages, but it seems almost insurmountable when the size and inherent lack of heat dissipation surfaces in very small devices is considered. Also, power consumption problems go hand in hand with heat production problems. Obviously, wasted heat production means wasted power consumption. This is always undesirable, but in small battery powered devices it is unacceptable.

Clearly, it would be advantageous to find a way to provide a great amount of computing capacity without consuming a great deal of power or creating a great deal of heat. However, to the inventor's knowledge, no satisfactory solution has been known prior to the present invention.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for increasing computer processing speed while reducing power consumption.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for providing substantial computing power inexpensively.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for accomplishing computationally intensive tasks.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a computer device that produces a great amount of processing capability without consuming a great amount of power.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a computer device that produces a great amount of processing power without creating a great amount of heat.

Briefly, a known embodiment of the present invention is a computer having its own memory such that it is capable of independent computational functions. In one embodiment of the invention a plurality of the computers are arranged in an array. In order to accomplish tasks cooperatively, the computers must pass data and/or instructions from one to another. Since all of the computers working simultaneously will typically provide much more computational power than is required by most tasks, and since whatever algorithm or method that is used to distribute the task among the several computers will almost certainly result in an uneven distribution of assignments, it is anticipated that at least some, and perhaps most, of the computers will not be actively participating in the accomplishment of the task at any given time. In order to prevent unnecessary consumption of power and unnecessary production of heat, when a computer attempts to communicate with one or more of its neighbors it will be in a dormant mode consuming essentially no power until the neighbor or one of the neighbors acts to complete the communication.

As described herein, the communication between the computers is asynchronous in that it is not timed by any clock, or the like. Rather, it is both begun and completed as the resources become available. That is, a computer will either initiate the sending of data or else place itself in a state ready to receive data when its programming directs it to do so. Then, when the computer, or one of selected computers, with which it is attempting to communicate becomes ready to complete the communication, it does so.

In order to accomplish the desired savings of power and reduced heat dissipation it is desirable that the initiating computer cease, or at least significantly reduce, its power consumption while it is awaiting completion of the communication. It is conceivable that this could be accomplished by any of a number of means. For example, if the computer were timed by either an internal or an external clock, then that clock could be slowed or stopped during that period of time. However, according to an embodiment of the invention described herein, the computers are, themselves, operating asynchronously internally. That is, there is no clock type signal driving the computers (with one exception discussed herein). It is the natural condition of such an asynchronous device to stop in a state wherein essentially no power (except that consumed by a small amount of leakage current) is used while the computer is awaiting a next operation.

According to the present invention, complete asynchronous operation between computers is effected through the use of an acknowledge operation. That is, in the prior art, wherein communications are clocked, communications between devices is generally assumed to have occurred at a particular time relative to the clocking signal. A sending computer would generally not have any immediate positive feedback to confirm that its data is received by a receiving computer. However, according to the present invention, when one computer attempts communication, either by attempting to send or attempting to receive, and then subsequently another computer completes that operation, either by receiving or by sending, the sending computer's action is acknowledged by the receiving computer such that both computers know that the transaction is completed. In the present embodiment of the invention, this acknowledgement is accomplished by bringing control lines low such that data cycles, or time, is not wasted in accomplishing the acknowledge operation. However, the inventor believes that the operation of acknowledging the completion of a communication is applicable to essentially any asynchronous communication between devices, whether those devices be inherently internally asynchronous or not, and further even whether they might be based on conventional electronic circuitry, molecular principles, or any other principle of operation now in existence or to be developed in the future.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clear to those skilled in the art in view of the description of modes of carrying out the invention, and the industrial applicability thereof, as described herein and as illustrated in the several figures of the drawing. The objects and advantages listed are not an exhaustive list of all possible advantages of the invention. Moreover, it will be possible to practice the invention even where one or more of the intended objects and/or advantages might be absent or not required in the application.

Further, those skilled in the art will recognize that various embodiments of the present invention may achieve one or more, but not necessarily all, of the described objects and/or advantages. Accordingly, the objects and/or advantages described herein are not essential elements of the present invention, and should not be construed as limitations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a computer array, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed diagram showing a subset of the computers of FIG. 1 and a more detailed view of the interconnecting data buses of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting a general layout of one of the computers of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of an instruction word according to the present inventive application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of the slot sequencer 42 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram depicting an example of the present inventive method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention is described in the following description with reference to the Figures, in which like numbers represent the same or similar elements. While this invention is described in terms of modes for achieving this invention's objectives, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be accomplished in view of these teachings without deviating from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

The embodiments and variations of the invention described herein, and/or shown in the drawings, are presented by way of example only and are not limiting as to the scope of the invention. Unless otherwise specifically stated, individual aspects and components of the invention may be omitted or modified, or may have substituted therefore known equivalents, or as yet unknown substitutes such as may be developed in the future or such as may be found to be acceptable substitutes in the future. The invention may also be modified for a variety of applications while remaining within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, since the range of potential applications is great, and since it is intended that the present invention be adaptable to many such variations.

A known mode for carrying out the invention is an array of individual computers. The array is depicted in a diagrammatic view in FIG. 1 and is designated therein by the general reference character 10. The computer array 10 has a plurality (twenty-four in the example shown) of computers 12 (sometimes also referred to as “cores” or “nodes” in the example of an array). In the example shown, all of the computers 12 are located on a single die 14. According to the present invention, each of the computers 12 is a generally independently functioning computer, as will be discussed in more detail hereinafter. The computers 12 are interconnected by a plurality (the quantities of which will be discussed in more detail hereinafter) of interconnecting data buses 16. In this example, the data buses 16 are bidirectional asynchronous high speed parallel data buses, although it is within the scope of the invention that other interconnecting means might be employed for the purpose. In the present embodiment of the array 10, not only is data communication between the computers 12 asynchronous, the individual computers 12 also operate in an internally asynchronous mode. This has been found by the inventor to provide important advantages. For example, since a clock signal does not have to be distributed throughout the computer array 10, a great deal of power is saved. Furthermore, not having to distribute a clock signal eliminates many timing problems that could limit the size of the array 10 or cause other known difficulties.

One skilled in the art will recognize that there will be additional components on the die 14 that are omitted from the view of FIG. 1 for the sake of clarity. Such additional components include power buses, external connection pads, and other such common aspects of a microprocessor chip.

Computer 12 e is an example of one of the computers 12 that is not on the periphery of the array 10. That is, computer 12 e has four orthogonally adjacent computers 12 a, 12 b, 12 c and 12 d. This grouping of computers 12 a through 12 e will be used hereinafter in relation to a more detailed discussion of the communications between the computers 12 of the array 10. As can be seen in the view of FIG. 1, interior computers such as computer 12 e will have four other computers 12 with which they can directly communicate via the buses 16. In the following discussion, the principles discussed will apply to all of the computers 12 except that the computers 12 on the periphery of the array 10 will be in direct communication with only three or, in the case of the corner computers 12, only two other of the computers 12.

FIG. 2 is a more detailed view of a portion of FIG. 1 showing only some of the computers 12 and, in particular, computers 12 a through 12 e, inclusive. The view of FIG. 2 also reveals that the data buses 16 each have two communications status lines, which include a read line 18 and a write line 20, and a plurality (eighteen in this example) of data lines 22. The data lines 22 are capable of transferring all the bits of one eighteen-bit instruction word generally simultaneously in parallel. It should be noted that, in one embodiment of the invention, some of the computers 12 are mirror images of adjacent computers. However, whether the computers 12 are all oriented identically or as mirror images of adjacent computers is not an aspect of this presently described invention. Therefore, in order to better describe this invention, this potential complication will not be discussed further herein.

According to the present inventive method, a computer 12, such as the computer 12 e can set one, two, three or all four of its read lines 18 such that it is prepared to receive data from the respective one, two, three or all four adjacent computers 12. Similarly, it is also possible for a computer 12 to set one, two, three or all four of its write lines 20 high. Although the inventor does not believe that there is presently any practical value to setting more than one of a computer's 12 write lines 20 high at one time, doing so is not beyond the scope of this invention, as it conceivable that a use for such an operation may occur.

When one of the adjacent computers 12 a, 12 b, 12 c or 12 d sets a write line 20 between itself and the computer 12 e high, if the computer 12 e has already set the corresponding read line 18 high, then a word is transferred from that computer 12 a, 12 b, 12 c or 12 d to the computer 12 e on the associated data lines 22. Then the sending computer 12 will release the write line 20 and the receiving computer (12 e in this example) pulls both the write line 20 and the read line 18 low. The latter action will acknowledge to the sending computer 12 that the data has been received. Note that the above description is not intended necessarily to denote the sequence of events in order. In actual practice, in this example the receiving computer may try to set the write line 20 low slightly before the sending computer 12 releases (stops pulling high) its write line 20. In such an instance, as soon as the sending computer 12 releases its write line 20 the write line 20 will be pulled low by the receiving computer 12 e.

In the present example, only a programming error would cause both computers 12 on the opposite ends of one of the buses 16 to try to set high the read line 18 there-between. Also, it would be error for both computers 12 on the opposite ends of one of the buses 16 to try to set high the write line 18 there-between at the same time. Similarly, as discussed above, it is not currently anticipated that it would be desirable to have a single computer 12 set more than one of its four write lines 20 high. However, it is presently anticipated that there will be occasions wherein it is desirable to set different combinations of the read lines 18 high such that one of the computers 12 can be in a wait state awaiting data from the first one of the chosen computers 12 to set its corresponding write line 20 high.

In the example discussed above, computer 12 e was described as setting one or more of its read lines 18 high before an adjacent computer (selected from one or more of the computers 12 a, 12 b, 12 c or 12 d) has set its write line 20 high. However, this process can certainly occur in the opposite order. For example, if the computer 12 e were attempting to write to the computer 12 a, then computer 12 e would set the write line 20 between computer 12 e and computer 12 a to high. If the read line 18 between computer 12 e and computer 12 a has then not already been set to high by computer 12 a, then computer 12 e will simply wait until computer 12 a does set that read line 20 high. Then, as discussed above, when both of a corresponding pair of write line 18 and read line 20 are high the data awaiting to be transferred on the data lines 22 is transferred. Thereafter, the receiving computer 12 (computer 12 a, in this example) sets both the read line 18 and the write line 20 between the two computers (12 e and 12 a in this example) to low as soon as the sending computer 12 e releases it.

Whenever a computer 12 such as the computer 12 e has set one of its write lines 20 high in anticipation of writing it will simply wait, using essentially no power, until the data is “requested”, as described above, from the appropriate adjacent computer 12, unless the computer 12 to which the data is to be sent has already set its read line 18 high, in which case the data is transmitted immediately. Similarly, whenever a computer 12 has set one or more of its read lines 18 to high in anticipation of reading it will simply wait, using essentially no power, until the write line 20 connected to a selected computer 12 goes high to transfer an instruction word between the two computers 12.

There may be several potential means and/or methods to cause the computers 12 to function as described above. However, in this present example, the computers 12 so behave simply because they are operating generally asynchronously internally (in addition to transferring data there-between in the asynchronous manner described). That is, instructions are completed sequentially. When either a write or read instruction occurs, there can be no further action until that instruction is completed (or, perhaps alternatively, until it is aborted, as by a “reset” or the like). There is no regular clock pulse, in the prior art sense. Rather, a pulse is generated to accomplish a next instruction only when the instruction being executed either is not a read or write type instruction (given that a read or write type instruction would require completion by another entity) or else when the read or write type operation is, in fact, completed.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting the general layout of an example of one of the computers 12 of FIGS. 1 and 2. As can be seen in the view of FIG. 3, each of the computers 12 is a generally self contained computer having its own RAM 24 and ROM 26. As mentioned previously, the computers 12 are also sometimes referred to as individual “cores”, given that they are, in the present example, combined on a single chip.

Other basic components of the computer 12 are a return stack 28, an instruction area 30, an arithmetic logic unit (“ALU” or “processor”) 32, a data stack 34 and a decode logic section 36 for decoding instructions. One skilled in the art will be generally familiar with the operation of stack based computers such as the computers 12 of this present example. The computers 12 are dual stack computers having the data stack 34 and separate return stack 28.

In this embodiment of the invention, the computer 12 has four communication ports 38 for communicating with adjacent computers 12. The communication ports 38 are tri-state drivers, having an off status, a receive status (for driving signals into the computer 12) and a send status (for driving signals out of the computer 12). Of course, if the particular computer 12 is not on the interior of the array (FIG. 1) such as the example of computer 12 e, then one or more of the communication ports will not be used in that particular computer, at least for the purposes described herein. The instruction area 30 includes a number of registers 40 including, in this example, an A register 40 a, a B register 40 b and a P register 40 c. In this example, the A register 40 a is a full eighteen-bit register, while the B register 40 b and the P register 40 c are nine-bit registers.

Although the invention is not limited by this example, the present computer 12 is implemented to execute native Forth language instructions. As one familiar with the Forth computer language will appreciate, complicated Forth instructions, known as Forth “words” are constructed from the native processor instructions designed into the computer. The collection of Forth words is known as a “dictionary”. In other languages, this might be known as a “library”. As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the computer 12 reads eighteen bits at a time from RAM 24, ROM 26 or directly from one of the data buses 16 (FIG. 2). However, since in Forth most instructions (known as operand-less instructions) obtain their operands directly from the stacks 28 and 34, they are generally only five bits in length such that up to four instructions can be included in a single eighteen-bit instruction word, with the condition that the last instruction in the group is selected from a limited set of instructions that require only three bits. Also depicted in block diagrammatic form in the view of FIG. 3 is a slot sequencer 42. In this embodiment of the invention, the top two registers in the data stack 34 are a T register 44 and an S register 46.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of an instruction word 48. (It should be noted that the instruction word 48 can actually contain instructions, data, or some combination thereof.) The instruction word 48 consists of eighteen bits 50. This being a binary computer, each of the bits 50 will be a ‘1’ or a ‘0’. As previously discussed herein, the eighteen-bit wide instruction word 48 can contain up to four instructions 52 in four slots 54 called slot zero 54 a, slot one 54 b, slot two 54 c and slot three 54 d. In the present embodiment of the invention, the eighteen-bit instruction words 48 are always read as a whole. Therefore, since there is always a potential of having up to four instructions in the instruction word 48, a no-op (no operation) instruction is included in the instruction set of the computer 12 to provide for instances when using all of the available slots 54 might be unnecessary or even undesirable. It should be noted that, according to one particular embodiment of the invention, the polarity (active high as compared to active low) of bits 50 in alternate slots (specifically, slots one 54 b and three 54 c) is reversed. However, this is not a necessary aspect of the presently described invention and, therefore, in order to better explain this invention this potential complication is avoided in the following discussion.

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of the slot sequencer 42 of FIG. 3. As can be seen in the view of FIG. 5, the slot sequencer 42 has a plurality (fourteen in this example) of inverters 56 and one NAND gate 58 arranged in a ring, such that a signal is inverted an odd number of times as it travels through the fourteen inverters 56 and the NAND gate 58. A signal is initiated in the slot sequencer 42 when either of the two inputs to an OR gate 60 goes high. A first OR gate input 62 is derived from a bit i4 66 (FIG. 4) of the instruction 52 being executed. If bit i4 is high then that particular instruction 52 is an ALU instruction, and the i4 bit 66 is ‘1’. When the i4 bit is ‘1’, then the first OR gate input 62 is high, and the slot sequencer 42 is triggered to initiate a pulse that will cause the execution of the next instruction 52.

When the slot sequencer 42 is triggered, either by the first OR gate input 62 going high or by the second OR gate input 64 going high (as will be discussed hereinafter), then a signal will travel around the slot sequencer 42 twice, producing an output at a slot sequencer output 68 each time. The first time the signal passes the slot sequencer output 68 it will be low, and the second time the output at the slot sequencer output 68 will be high. The relatively wide output from the slot sequencer output 68 is provided to a pulse generator 70 (shown in block diagrammatic form) that produces a narrow timing pulse as an output. One skilled in the art will recognize that the narrow timing pulse is desirable to accurately initiate the operations of the computer 12.

When the particular instruction 52 being executed is a read or a write instruction, or any other instruction wherein it is not desired that the instruction 52 being executed triggers immediate execution of the next instruction 52 in sequence, then the i4 bit 66 is ‘0’ (low) and the first OR gate input 62 is, therefore, also low. One skilled in the art will recognize that the timing of events in a device such as the computers 12 is generally quite critical, and this is no exception. Upon examination of the slot sequencer 42 one skilled in the art will recognize that the output from the OR gate 60 must remain high until after the signal has circulated past the NAND gate 58 in order to initiate the second “lap” of the ring. Thereafter, the output from the OR gate 60 will go low during that second “lap” in order to prevent unwanted continued oscillation of the circuit.

As can be appreciated in light of the above discussion, when the i4 bit 66 is ‘0’, then the slot sequencer 42 will not be triggered—assuming that the second OR gate input 66, which will be discussed hereinafter, is not high.

As discussed, above, the i4 bit 66 of each instruction 52 is set according to whether or not that instruction is a read or write type of instruction. The remaining bits 50 in the instruction 52 provide the remainder of the particular opcode for that instruction. In the case of a read or write type instruction, one or more of the bits may be used to indicate where data is to be read from or written to in that particular computer 12. In the present example of the invention, data to be written always comes from the T register 44 (the top of the data stack 34), however data can be selectively read into either the T register 44 or else the instruction area 30 from where it can be executed. That is because, in this particular embodiment of the invention, either data or instructions can be communicated in the manner described herein and instructions can, therefore, be executed directly from the data bus 16, although this is not a necessary aspect of this present invention. Furthermore, one or more of the bits 50 will be used to indicate which of the ports 38, if any, is to be set to read or write. This later operation is optionally accomplished by using one or more bits to designate a register 40, such as the A register 40 a, the B register, or the like. In such an example, the designated register 40 will be preloaded with data having a bit corresponding to each of the ports 38 (and, also, any other potential entity with which the computer 12 may be attempting to communicate, such as memory, an external communications port, or the like.) For example, each of four bits in the particular register 40 can correspond to each of the up port 38 a, the right port 38 b, the left port 38 c or the down port 38 d. In such case, where there is a ‘1’ at any of those bit locations, communication will be set to proceed through the corresponding port 38. As previously discussed herein, in the present embodiment of the invention it is anticipated that a read opcode might set more than one port 38 for communication in a single instruction while, although it is possible, it is not anticipated that a write opcode will set more than one port 38 for communication in a single instruction.

The immediately following example will assume a communication wherein computer 12 e is attempting to write to computer 12 c, although the example is applicable to communication between any adjacent computers 12. When a write instruction is executed in a writing computer 12 e, the selected write line 20 (in this example, the write line 20 between computers 12 e and 12 c) is set high. If the corresponding read line 18 is already high, then data is immediately sent from the selected location through the selected communications port 38. Alternatively, if the corresponding read line 18 is not already high, then computer 12 e will simply stop operation until the corresponding read line 18 does go high. The mechanism for stopping (or, more accurately, not enabling further operations of) the computer 12 a when there is a read or write type instruction has been discussed previously herein. In short, the opcode of the instruction 52 will have a ‘0’ at bit position i4 66, and so the first OR gate input 62 of the OR gate 60 is low, and so the slot sequencer 42 is not triggered to generate an enabling pulse.

As for how the operation of the computer 12 e is resumed when a read or write type instruction is completed, the mechanism for that is as follows: When both the read line 18 and the corresponding write line 20 between computers 12 e and 12 c are high, then both lines 18 and 20 will be released by each of the respective computers 12 that is holding it high. (In this example, the sending computer 12 e will be holding the write line 18 high while the receiving computer 12 c will be holding the read line 20 high). Then the receiving computer 12 c will pull both lines 18 and 20 low. In actual practice, the receiving computer 12 c may attempt to pull the lines 18 and 20 low before the sending computer 12 e has released the write line 18. However, since the lines 18 and 20 are pulled high and only weakly held (latched) low, any attempt to pull a line 18 or 20 low will not actually succeed until that line 18 or 20 is released by the computer 12 that is latching it high.

When both lines 18 and 20 in a data bus 16 are pulled low, this is an “acknowledge” condition. Each of the computers 12 e and 12 c will, upon the acknowledge condition, set its own internal acknowledge line 72 high. As can be seen in the view of FIG. 5, the acknowledge line 72 provides the second OR gate input 64. Since an input to either of the OR gate 60 inputs 62 or 64 will cause the output of the OR gate 60 to go high, this will initiate operation of the slot sequencer 42 in the manner previously described herein, such that the instruction 52 in the next slot 54 of the instruction word 48 will be executed. The acknowledge line 72 stays high until the next instruction 52 is decoded, in order to prevent spurious addresses from reaching the address bus.

In any case when the instruction 52 being executed is in the slot three position of the instruction word 48, the computer 12 will fetch the next awaiting eighteen-bit instruction word 48 unless, of course, bit i4 66 is a ‘0’. In actual practice, the present inventive mechanism includes a method and apparatus for “prefetching” instructions such that the fetch can begin before the end of the execution of all instructions 52 in the instruction word 48. However, this also is not a necessary aspect of the present inventive method and apparatus for asynchronous data communications.

The above example wherein computer 12 e is writing to computer 12 c has been described in detail. As can be appreciated in light of the above discussion, the operations are essentially the same whether computer 12 e attempts to write to computer 12 c first, or whether computer 12 c first attempts to read from computer 12 e. The operation cannot be completed until both computers 12 and 12 c are ready and, whichever computer 12 e or 12 c is ready first, that first computer 12 simply “goes to sleep” until the other computer 12 e or 12 c completes the transfer. Another way of looking at the above described process is that, actually, both the writing computer 12 e and the receiving computer 12 c go to sleep when they execute the write and read instructions, respectively, but the last one to enter into the transaction reawakens nearly instantaneously when both the read line 18 and the write line 20 are high, whereas the first computer 12 to initiate the transaction can stay asleep nearly indefinitely until the second computer 12 is ready to complete the process.

The inventor believes that a key feature for enabling efficient asynchronous communications between devices is some sort of acknowledge signal or condition. In the prior art, most communication between devices has been clocked and there is no direct way for a sending device to know that the receiving device has properly received the data. Methods such as checksum operations may have been used to attempt to insure that data is correctly received, but the sending device has no direct indication that the operation is completed. The present inventive method, as described herein, provides the necessary acknowledge condition that allows, or at least makes practical, asynchronous communications between the devices. Furthermore, the acknowledge condition also makes it possible for one or more of the devices to “go to sleep” until the acknowledge condition occurs. Of course, an acknowledge condition could be communicated between the computers 12 by a separate signal being sent between the computers 12 (either over the interconnecting data bus 16 or over a separate signal line), and such an acknowledge signal would be within the scope of this aspect of the present invention. However, according to the embodiment of the invention described herein, it can be appreciated that there is even more economy involved here, in that the method for acknowledgement does not require any additional signal, clock cycle, timing pulse, or any such resource beyond that described, to actually affect the communication.

In light of the above discussion of the procedures and means for accomplishing them, the following brief description of an example of the inventive method can now be understood. FIG. 6 is a flow diagram, designated by the reference character 74, depicting this method example. In an ‘initiate communication’ operation 76 one computer 12 executes an instruction 53 that causes it to attempt to communicate with another computer 12. This can be either an attempt to write or an attempt to read. In a ‘set first line high’ operation 78, which occurs generally simultaneously with the ‘initiate communication’ operation 76, either a read line 18 or a write line 20 is set high (depending upon whether the first computer 12 is attempting to read or to write). As a part of the ‘set first line high’ operation, the computer 12 doing so will, according the presently described embodiment of the operation, cease operation, as described in detail previously herein. In a ‘set second line high’ operation 80 the second line (either the write line 20 or read line 18) is set high by the second computer 12. In a ‘communicate data operation’ data (or instructions, or the like) is transmitted and received over the data lines 22. In a ‘pull lines low’ operation 84, the read line 18 and the write line 20 are released and then pulled low. In a ‘continue’ operation 86 the acknowledge condition causes the computers 12 to resume their operation. In the case of the present inventive example, the acknowledge condition causes an acknowledge signal 86 (FIG. 5) which, in this case, is simply the “high” condition of the acknowledge line 72.

Various modifications may be made to the invention without altering its value or scope. For example, while this invention has been described herein in terms of read instructions and write instructions, in actual practice there may be more than one read type instruction and/or more than one write type instruction. As just one example, in one embodiment of the invention there is a write instruction that increments the register and other write instructions that do not. Similarly, write instructions can vary according to which register 40 is used to select communications ports 38, or the like, as discussed previously herein. There can also be a number of different read instructions, depending only upon which variations the designer of the computers 12 deems to be a useful choice of alternative read behaviors.

Similarly, while the present invention has been described herein in relation to communications between computers 12 in an array 10 on a single die 14, the same principles and method can be used, or modified for use, to accomplish other inter-device communications, such as communications between a computer 12 and its dedicated memory or between a computer 12 in an array 10 and an external device (through an input/output port, or the like). Indeed, it is anticipated that some applications may require arrays of arrays—with the presently described inter device communication method being potentially applied to communication among the arrays of arrays.

While specific examples of the inventive computer array 10 and computer 12 have been discussed therein, it is expected that there will be a great many applications for these which have not yet been envisioned. Indeed, it is one of the advantages of the present invention that the inventive method and apparatus may be adapted to a great variety of uses.

All of the above are only some of the examples of available embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous other modifications and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the disclosure herein is not intended as limiting and the appended claims are to be interpreted as encompassing the entire scope of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The inventive computer array 10, computers 12 and associated method 74 are intended to be widely used in a great variety of computer applications. It is expected that it they will be particularly useful in applications where significant computing power is required, and yet power consumption and heat production are important considerations.

As discussed previously herein, the applicability of the present invention is such that many types of inter-device computer communications can be improved thereby. It is anticipated that the inventive method, wherein some computers can be allowed to “go to sleep” when not in use, will be used to reduce power consumption, reduce heat production, and improve the efficiency of communication between computers and computerized devices in a great variety of applications and implementations.

Since the computer array 10, computer 12 and method 74 of the present invention may be readily produced and integrated with existing tasks, input/output devices, and the like, and since the advantages as described herein are provided, it is expected that they will be readily accepted in the industry. For these and other reasons, it is expected that the utility and industrial applicability of the invention will be both significant in scope and long-lasting in duration. 

1. A computer, comprising: a processor for executing a plurality of instructions from an instruction area; and a sequencer for providing a pulse to advance from a presently executed instruction to a next instruction of said plurality of instructions; wherein each of said plurality of instructions includes a bit for providing an input to the sequencer such that the sequencer is triggered into providing the pulse when the bit is set; said computer is one of an array of computers integrated on a single chip; when said bit for providing the input to the sequencer is not set then the sequencer is not triggered into providing the pulse; when said bit for providing the input to the sequencer is not set then a first communications status line is set between the computer and a second computer; the sequencer includes a ring oscillator having an odd number of inverting logic elements connected in a ring; the sequencer has a first input terminal operative to trigger the sequencer into providing the pulse responsive to the bit being set; and the sequencer has a second input terminal operative to trigger the sequencer into providing the pulse responsive to an acknowledgment signal indicating completion of a communication between the computer and a second computer on the chip.
 2. The computer of claim 1, wherein: the bit is set when it is a ‘1’.
 3. The computer of claim 1, wherein: the plurality of instructions are part of a larger instruction word.
 4. The computer of claim 1, wherein: said first communications status line is a write line.
 5. The computer of claim 1, wherein: said first communications status line is a read line.
 6. The computer of claim 1, wherein: when a second communications status line is set then data is transferred between the computer and the second computer.
 7. The computer of claim 6, wherein: data is transferred from the computer to the second computer.
 8. The computer of claim 6, wherein: the data includes an instruction.
 9. The computer of claim 6, wherein: when the second communications status line is set then the acknowledgement signal is provided to the sequencer such that the sequencer is triggered into providing the pulse.
 10. A method for causing a computer to temporarily reduce its power consumption, comprising: (a) causing the computer to stop operation when a communication is attempted with another computer; and (b) causing the computer to resume operation when completion of the communication with the another computer is acknowledged; and wherein a sequencer produces a pulse to cause execution of each of a plurality of instructions; no such pulse is immediately produced when the communication is attempted with the another computer; both the computer and the another computer are on a single chip; the sequencer includes a ring oscillator having an odd number of inverting logic elements connected in a ring; the sequencer has a first input terminal operative to trigger the sequencer into providing the pulse responsive to a bit of one of the instructions being set; the sequencer has a second input terminal operative to trigger the sequencer into providing the pulse responsive to an acknowledgment signal indicating the completion of the communication between the computer and the another computer; when the bit for providing the input to the sequencer is not set then the sequencer is not triggered into providing the pulse; and when the bit for providing the input to the sequencer is not set then a first communications status line is set between the computer and the another computer.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein: when the computer stops operation it also alters the status of the first communications status line between the computer and the another computer.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein: there are two communications status lines between the computer and the another computer; and communication with the another computer is acknowledged when each of said two communications status lines are set to a same status.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein: when the computer operation is stopped then the first communications status line of two communications status lines between the computer and the another computer is set; and when the second communications status line is set then data is communicated and then operation of the computer is resumed.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein: when the completion of the communication with the another computer is acknowledged then the acknowledgment signal is generated and the sequencer provides the pulse to cause execution of a next instruction.
 15. In a computer for executing instructions wherein at least some of the instructions are communication instructions for causing the computer to communicate with an outside entity, an improvement comprising: means for causing the computer to stop when a communication instruction is attempted; and means for causing the computer to restart when the communication instruction is completed; and wherein the means for causing the computer to stop includes a pulse generating apparatus for generating a pulse when each of the instructions is executed, except that when the instruction being attempted is one of the communication instructions then no such pulse is generated; the means for causing the computer to restart when the communication instruction is completed includes a means for causing the pulse generating apparatus to generate the pulse; the pulse generating apparatus is caused to generate the pulse when the outside entity acknowledges completion of a communication; the pulse generating apparatus includes a ring oscillator having an odd number of inverting logic elements connected in a ring; the pulse generating apparatus has a first input terminal operative to trigger the pulse generating apparatus into generating the pulse responsive to a bit of the instruction being attempted being set; the pulse generating apparatus has a second input terminal operative to trigger the pulse generating apparatus into generating the pulse responsive to an acknowledgment signal indicating completion of the communication between the computer and the outside entity; when said bit for providing the input to the pulse generating apparatus is not set then the pulse generating apparatus is not triggered into generating the pulse; when said bit for providing the input to the pulse generating apparatus is not set then a first communications status line is set between the computer and the outside entity; both the computer and the outside entity are on a single chip; and the outside entity is another computer. 